Page 16 of The Malice of Moons and Mages (The Broken Bonds of Magic #1)

Sixteen

Xiang

T he Western boats were small, rugged things that looked nearly as worn as the mix of men and women attending them. The villagers wore thin clothes and bamboo hats that shaded their golden-brown skin. They’d been too intimidated by the imposing Bulou to flee, and their location was so rural, it was unlikely the Starlings would come looking for them.

“Three men missing since yesterday. A man, his son, and a nephew. They should’ve returned last night, but there’s no trace of them,” Galia said. After coming across the grouping of boats with the same fading tribal symbol along their hulls, the lieutenant had rowed out to them to gather more information. The boats waited for the signal to move on.

The Bulou ’s sails had changed from Moon tribe black to a bland off-white. Though they’d covered their robes, there was no disguising their manners, accents, or complexions. There wasn’t a storm to blame, and the sea dragons were further north this time of year. Perhaps something else could be blamed for the loss of these boats, but it would be a difficult stage to set.

“What are they saying?” Xiang asked .

Galia cleared her throat. “One woman whispers of dragons taking them. Someone argued about the Moon tribe, but that was quickly quieted by the elder aboard. He said the Moons hadn’t trifled with them in years. He thinks the man drank too much and sank it or hooked something that dragged them into the depths.”

From aboard the largest of the boats, three men watched impatiently while the elder scurried around the deck. He yelled at the younger ones. When they ignored him a third time, he slapped one of them on the back of the head with a piece of rope. This drew the other men’s attention, and they sprang into action, following the old man’s orders.

“What are your thoughts?” Xiang asked, watching the elder.

“I believe them. Even if the youngsters suspect, the older one holds a tight grip on them. They won’t defy him.”

His eyes slid to hers, waiting. She knew what he was asking.

Galia’s voice lowered. “If we kill them, we’ll have to kill everyone on these boats. Such a loss would devastate their small community. Possibly doom them without their fishers or boats, especially moving into the colder season. And their deaths would risk an international incident.”

“ If we are caught,” Xiang said. “The old man already knows us. You can tell he’s trying to carry on like this is normal. He remembers what Moon ships look like. I’m sure of it. Is this all their boats?”

“Yes, sir.”

Familiar tanned faces watched him. So much like the faces of his family and neighbors. One of the younger men resembled Bolin. Xiang made a half arc with one arm.

“Take us around,” he ordered.

Galia’s shoulders relaxed as the captain turned the wheel. She raised her arm, showing that they could go, but stopped when she saw Jayna and Nori standing silently beneath the awning. Soldiers manned the fire cannons, turning them as the ship swept slowly away and came in better view of the six boats. A dozen archers stood at the ready. The sad boats’ close clustering made them an easy target.

“Sir?” she asked. “These aren’t soldiers. They’re simple people. We can’t just?—”

“Lieutenant, I caution you. Do not deign to tell me what we can and cannot do. My authority comes from our Oja directly. Would you rather risk the lives on this vessel?” he asked. “What will happen if they tell the Starlings that a strange ship visited them with new sails whose crew hid from Starling beneath silks?”

Galia’s face fell.

“What will happen if the Starlings capture the Oji?”

Her eyes were glassy. “What of the rest of their village?”

“Be glad they’re not here to suffer the same fate.” He nodded to a soldier who sent an order down the line. They stuffed the cannons with mud and straw balls covered in oil and, as the ship came in full view of the smaller vessels, a long wand of all’ight was used to ignite each one.

The mages began their spells at Xiang’s signal. The wind picked up. The cannons exploded, carrying fiery death toward the defenseless boats. A man dove into the water a moment before his boat burst in half. He reemerged twenty feet away. His limbs kicked furiously toward the distant shore. He didn’t look back as people screamed when another volley of fire destroyed the remaining boats.

Xiang watched them burn; his emotions hid behind a stony expression. He motioned to the archers. “No survivors.”

A slew of arrows hit people desperately treading water beside the remnants of their boats, but the swimmer was nearly out of reach. A young archer moved out of line toward the rail. She drew the bow, nocked the arrow, and aimed high. It arced against the sky, then fell slowly before finding its mark. The man’s death was quiet. The water turned a murky red as he went limp.

Xiang looked back at Galia. “Make sure every board that floats is burned. Each body is weighted, dismembered, or seared. If people want to believe it might be a Western dragon returned, then give them no reason to doubt.”

He noted her expression, saw the resignation he’d succumbed to years ago mirrored there, and turned away.

Below deck, Xiang retched into his chamber pot twice before the sweats left him. He splashed cool water on his face from the basin and sat back on his bed, rubbing his eyes. Killing his own people was never easy, but it was necessary .

Damn Lua.

If he hadn’t escaped, they’d be close to home by now. These deaths, these things he was being made to do to protect his crew and the Moon tribe, were the Oji’s fault.

There was still the mystery of Lua’s anchor. The Requin’s crew insisted the thief had left with him. If Lua’d had to drain three men before escaping, he hadn’t fully bonded. Or, Xiang considered, his new anchor was nearly useless.

The Requin had been headed for Oxton. But there was no possibility of the Bulou simply sailing into port without prearranged authorization from the Starlings, which meant they’d have to take their hunt to land sooner. Jayna and Nori would have a difficult time, but they’d manage. It would be a stretch to blame dragons that hadn’t graced the skies in decades, but the ignorant villagers might accept it. The Starlings would not.

After long hours of drunken pleasure, Bolin would often whisper about his mother who had come from a line of Western mages. She’d given up her dragon bond before he’d been born, and surely the beast had left long before the Moons destroyed their village. Xiang once ran his fingers over the red-scaled chest plate Bolin wore but considered them the way one might think of tales told around campfires—history long gone, fanciful and full of romanticism. People loved tales of the dragons and their mages. It gave them hope when there was none. And the culling of the anglers would only aid those stories. If nothing else, it would distract for a while—hopefully long enough to reclaim the Oji.

After returning to the deck, he ordered the ship closer to shore. He’d take a small squadron and the mages and place Galia in charge of the Bulou . He worried the proximity to the locals would weaken her resolve, and he couldn’t have Jayna distracted by her lover’s presence.

Neither of them would be happy about it, but they wouldn’t complain. He promised to return Jayna safely to Uduary, but he saw the doubt in Galia’s expression. She was losing faith in him. Jayna, at least, would be easier to control.

They understood their duty, just as he and Bolin did. And he understood something they did not know yet. Sometimes, for love to prevail, it needed to be separated. After all, people did terrible things in the name of love.

Xiang paused in his cabin and, on impulse, slipped the bloodstone into his pocket.